Shiso

A perfume of cool air, pale sun, new life unfurling on the forest floor.

“We worked with shiso as a primary scent, which is rare in the perfume world— it is closely hinged to the other notes, so it begins simply and then slowly opens up intvo spicy greens, crushed stems, and ancient exotic woods.” –GP

“The more I learned about what’s in conventional fragrances, the more horrified I became.” —GP

WHY CLEAN, SAFE FRAGRANCE IS IMPORTANT

The word “fragrance” or “parfum” on any cosmetic label (scented or otherwise) functions as something of a Trojan horse: Fragrance can actually contain hundreds of (unlisted) ingredients because its contents are considered a trade secret. Companies are not required to disclose what’s “fragrance” on the ingredient labels of personal care products, so consumers don’t always know what they’re putting on their bodies.

With goop Fragrance, we created a scent directly from the natural world, to evoke a genuine, unguarded response within each person. Natural ingredients carry the imprint of their harvest, the subtleties and complexities of their own individual makeup, as well as an innate power to influence and heal. We respond to the magic of plants on an instinctual, primal level. In creating scent, we responded to the traditions of perfumery (which, before the 20th century, were made of natural materials), but also the traditions of homeopathy, herbology, and mysticism, even witchcraft.

When you create a fine fragrance using real, only-natural ingredients, you create something that’s alive. It’s something so different—physically, spiritually, energetically—than what you get with a synthetic. It’s not just the toxic ingredients that synthetics are composed of, it’s that they lack the true essence of the plants they’re imitating.

“The more I learned about what’s in conventional fragrances, the more horrified I became.” —GP

In collaboration with perfumer Douglas Little

“Working with GP was a revelation,” says perfumer Douglas Little. “Almost instantly, we were geeking out on fragrance together, pulling out notes, describing scents we loved from the world—a winter forest in Yugoslavia, an early-spring one in Japan, the floorboards of an ancient church.” Little’s interest in natural perfumery came from a deep love of nature—but not the placid, benevolent nature most people envision. “Nature is terrifying and mysterious and wildly sexual and seductive and spiritual,” he says. “It’s feral and raw and wild. That rawness is what’s beautiful to me.”